"ALF" associate producer: "Lighten up already" over "n-bombs" in show's outtake reel

[Amerigo Vespucci]

ALF's Shocking N-Bomb -- Producer Says 'No Big Deal'

12/28/2010 12:20 AM PST by TMZ Staff



http://www.tmz.com/2010/12/27/alfs-n-bomb-80s-television-politically-correct-john-lamotta-steve-lamar-producer-defend/

In the midst of a racist N-bomb scandal -- former 80s sitcom star "ALF" is finding support from one of the show's main producers ... who claims the cat-eater's comments were not meant to be offensive.

In case you missed it, a shocking outtake reel from the show -- roughly 20 years old -- recently surfaced online, featuring the puppet (voiced by creator Paul Fusco) making sexually charged comments ... and dropping the N-bomb three times.

TMZ spoke with Steve Lamar -- associate producer on ALF for three years -- who tells us, "You're talking about 20 years ago when the world was not so ridiculously PC. Anyone that's offended needs to lighten up already."

We also spoke to "ALF" co-star John LaMotta -- who played the nosy neighbor -- and while he didn't have an explanation for the N-bomb incident ... he did tell us, "I thought the show "ALF" was a piece of sh*t ... worst work I ever did."

[Cirque du So-What]

1. '...20 years ago when the world was not so ridiculously PC...'???

Admonishing us to 'lighten up?' Those are the words of a repugnant asshole - most likely a conservative one at that. I share the sentiment of LaMotta: that show was a piece of shit, and now we know that the 'creative minds' behind it were also pieces of shit.

[vi5]

2. Has anyone talked about the reference itself?

I'm not defending it, but I also haven't seen mentioned any places (I admittedly haven't been spending all my free time reading about this) that what the guy doing the puppet was saying was a reference to an LA Law episode from around that time. It was about a person with Tourrette's Syndrome who was suing his former employer for firing him because his Tourrette's incidents were distracting. He was on the witness stand and was basically saying what Alf said. The swear words and racial epithets, peppered with "WHOOOP! WHOOOP!" in between.

Sadly back in the time when that LA Law episode aired, even though it was a serious episode about a condition which hadn't been depicted on TV at all really prior to then, all people at the time got was that they thought it was funny that the guy was swearing like that and saying those words. So in school at the time (I was probably a senior in High School I think) the next day all the kids were imitating and saying the same things that ALF was saying. It was pretty offensive.

I'm not saying that makes what's shown in the ALF outtakes not offensive or that this guy isn't an A-hole for defending it in such a reprehensible way. But it also wasn't this person just saying that word randomly and without some sort of contextual reference.

[Loudmxr]

3. The Germans love Alf more than David Haselhoff!! Really.

[elocs]

4. I loved ALF when it was on and still enjoy it when I see it.

I never took the show to be in any way right wing. I especially remember the episode when Alf advised the president to get rid of the nuclear bombs.

I wonder, if Leonardo da Vinci were found to be a conservative, would that automatically make his work garbage. No, I am not comparing ALF with da Vinci, but I am making a point for those who are open enough to consider it.